Michael Kugelman is senior program associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he is responsible for research, programming, and publications on South and Southeast Asia. His most recent work has focused on Pakistan's 2013 elections, India-Pakistan relations, U.S.-Pakistan relations, and security challenges in India. He has published op-eds, commentaries, and blog posts in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, Bloomberg View, Politico, CNN.com, Al Jazeera, The National Interest, The Diplomat, Huffington Post, World Politics Review, Dawn, Express Tribune, Times of India, Indian Express, and Asia Times Online. He has been interviewed by or quoted in numerous major media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Guardian, National Geographic, Christian Science Monitor, International Business Times, CNN, National Public Radio, BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, and Voice of America. Mr. Kugelman received his M.A. in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He received his B.A. from American University's School of International Service. He has written and edited a number of publications on South Asia, including Pakistan-India Trade: What Needs To Be Done? What Does It Matter? (Wilson Center 2013) and India's Contemporary Security Challenges (Wilson Center 2011). He has also published journal articles and book chapters on issues ranging from South Asia's media environment to transboundary water management in South Asia. He can be contacted by email or on Twitter @michaelkugelman

Education

M.A., International Relations, The Fletcher School, Tufts University; B.A., International Studies, School of International Studies, American University

Michael Kugelman writes about five Pakistani militant leaders who are worth singling out—not just because they threaten stability, but because they foreshadow Pakistani militancy’s future trajectory. more

After weeks of relentless attacks by the Taliban many feared that the Afghan election would be a very bloody one. Yet, the 7 million people who turned out to vote largely escaped harm. Here's the likely explanation. more

On April 5, Afghans head to the polls as the country attempts its first-ever peaceful and democratic transfer of power. Three experts on the ground will discuss the election results —to the extent that they are known—and their implications. more

On April 2, Circle of Blue and the Wilson Center present the findings of their Choke Point: India initiative, an exploration into the water-energy-food confrontations in the world’s second most populous country. more

"President Obama, who is visiting India this weekend, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, have both described their countries as natural partners. That may be true. But they cannot achieve a deep and strategic partnership until the United States deals more forthrightly with Pakistan, New Delhi’s neighbor and nemesis," writes Michael Kugelman.

President Barack Obama‘s upcoming three-day visit to India aims to build on the momentum of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s week-long visit to the U.S. in September–a trip flush with soaring rhetoric and goodwill. But don’t expect substantive outcomes. Here are four reasons why.

President Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. President to visit India twice when he arrives under heavy security next week. He will also become the first U.S. President to be honored as Chief Guest during the annual Republic Day celebration. But the trip will be more than ceremonial, as President Obama and his counterpart Prime Minister Modi are likely to hold comprehensive talks on the entire gamut of bilateral issues in search of ways to enhance cooperation. In this episode of NOW, Michael Kugelman tells us what to expect from this important meeting.

"Perhaps a more immediate fear, however, is that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula–-a group that has demonstrated its intent and ability to strike in the West—will carry out its own attacks, much like the one in Paris this week," writes Michael Kugelman.

"In the coming year, all eyes will be on Afghanistan’s fragile national unity government as it confronts a ferocious insurgency and a floundering economy — and with significantly less international support than it enjoyed in previous years," writes Michael Kugelman.

As we move into the next year, the Asia Program would like to thank all of our speakers, writers, scholars, and supporters who have helped us make 2014 so successful. We are especially grateful to the writers have worked with us this year on our publications, covering a range of topics from energy crises in both Pakistan and India, the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership, and the changing relationships and "rebalancing" in Northeast Asia.

"With Putin due in India soon, now is a pivotal moment. Either the United States and India will seize this energy diplomacy opportunity, or India will form closer energy relationships with authoritarian regimes such as Russia," writes Michael Kugelman and Ray Vickery.

Over a third of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 15, yet it has the world’s second-highest number of children out of school. Pakistan’s youth could be the nation’s greatest asset—or its biggest liability.

Pakistan is plagued by a deep energy crisis—one with troubling consequences for its fragile economy and volatile security situation. Islamabad, in fact, has described energy as a greater challenge than terrorism. This conference seeks to capitalize on the urgency of the crisis. It will focus on steps that can and should be taken in the immediate future to address both supply- and demand-side aspects of Pakistan’s energy conundrum.

On April 5, Afghans head to the polls as the country attempts its first-ever peaceful and democratic transfer of power. Three experts on the ground will discuss the election results —to the extent that they are known—and their implications.

On April 2, Circle of Blue and the Wilson Center present the findings of their Choke Point: India initiative, an exploration into the water-energy-food confrontations in the world’s second most populous country.

As the United States approaches its 2014 deadline for military withdrawal from Afghanistan, one often overshadowed aspect of the conflict is the hard-won progress made by previously marginalized segments of the Afghan population, particularly women, girls, and young people. Afghanistan has one of the highest proportions of young people in the world – many of whom have known only war. The median age of the population is 15.6 years old, the median age of marriage is 18, and half of mothers surveyed during a country-wide mortality survey had their first child when they were teenagers.

Maternal mortality causes 56,000 deaths every year in India, accounting for 20 percent of maternal deaths around the world, said John Townsend, vice president and director of the Population Council’s reproductive health program. It is a key battleground for maternal health advocates. But maternal health is sometimes eclipsed by other major health and development issues on the sub-continent. For example, nearly five times as many people suffer from HIV/AIDS and more than 400 million people live on less than $1.25 a day.

Pages

As two of the biggest democracies in the most populous and dynamic region in the world, the many values that Japan and India share are crucial to ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. In this volume, edited by Shihoko Goto, commentators discuss how Japan and India can move forward in cooperating on the economic, security, and political fronts.

Pakistan is South Asia’s most rapidly urbanizing country. In barely 10 years, nearly 50 percent of its 180 million people will live in cities (a third do today). This new publication discusses the drivers of Pakistan’s urbanization, and examines the country’s major urban challenges. It also offers a series of policy recommendations and ways forward to help tackle a trend that won’t be going away anytime soon.

After a period of warming ties in 2011 and 2012, Pakistan-India relations are off to a rough start in 2013--threatening to weaken the momentum for normalizing commercial ties between the two neighbors. A new Asia Program publication on Pakistan-India trade highlights the benefits and risks--for both countries--of a formal trade relationship, and examines what needs to be done to push the process forward.

The new U.S. administration has inherited the challenge of a U.S.-Pakistan relationship in crisis. This policy brief argues that although strategic partnership may be impractical, sustained ties remain essential.

In a nation facing many challenges, Pakistan’s crisis of water resources stands out. This publication, edited by Asia Program associate Michael Kugelman and director Robert M. Hathaway, examines the rural and urban manifestations of Pakistan’s water problems, and offers recommendations to alleviate the country’s widespread water stress.

The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis. Edited by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein. Send an email to asia@wilsoncenter.org for a free copy or click on the attachment for a free PDF version.

This volume assesses Pakistan's energy needs over the next 25-30 years, and it seeks to foster debate on how Pakistan might succeed in meeting its energy requirements in the decades ahead. Coedited by Robert M. Hathaway, Bhumika Muchhala, and Michael Kugelman.

The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis.

Pakistan's population is young, fast-growing, and rapidly urbanizing. This new book, edited by program associate Michael Kugelman and program director Robert M. Hathaway, examines how the country can harness the promise of a population often viewed as a hindrance to prosperity and threat to stability.

In a nation facing many challenges, Pakistan’s crisis of water resources stands out. This publication, edited by Asia Program associate Michael Kugelman and director Robert M. Hathaway, examines the rural and urban manifestations of Pakistan’s water problems, and offers recommendations to alleviate the country’s widespread water stress.

Michael Kugelman, Senior Program Associate for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, discusses a new book which he co-edited entitled, The Global Farms Race. We also take a look at Middle East security from the Israeli perspective with, Efraim Halevy, former director of the Mossad and former head of the Israeli Security Council.

Robert Hathaway, Wilson Center's Asia Program Director; Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Associate; Klaus Larres, the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor in History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers. Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank. Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi.

Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers.
Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank.
Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi.